Great Barrier Reef

With more than 100 ways to experience the Great Barrier Reef, Tropical North Queensland offers the ultimate personalised adventure on the world's largest and most spectacular coral reef system.

Swim with dwarf minke whales on the ribbon reefs off Port Douglas, snorkel with turtles at a sand cay, dive among colourful coral gardens on the outer reef or camp on a deserted island to watch the sun rise over the Great Barrier Reef.

Join a live-aboard dive boat for days and nights of underwater exploration, keep your hair dry on a helmet dive or zoom along on an underwater scooter. Go under your own steam paddling to a nearby island from the beautiful Cape Tribulation beach or board a helicopter for a breathtaking aerial view of the reef.

Enjoy the seclusion of a luxurious island resort in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef where you can leisurely explore a colourful underwater world, dine with the Coral Sea lapping your toes, discover marine birdlife or gaze at the ocean while you laze in a spa.

Tropical North Queensland is the closest destination to the Great Barrier Reef. Travel to a pontoon on the outer edge of the reef, dive straight from the back of the boat or swim out from an island to see some of the 1500 species of fish, 4000 species of molluscs and 400 types of coral that live in this diverse ecosystem.

Try an introductory dive to see the reef and its colourful marine life up close or learn to dive so you can complete multiple underwater adventures as a certified diver. The enormous variety of diving experiences includes plummeting Coral Sea wall dives, diving alongside giant potato cod, joining reef sharks at night or witnessing the annual coral spawn.

Diving, snorkelling, sailing, cruising and island hopping are all part of everyday life in Tropical North Queensland, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

On entering the rainforest in Tamborine National Park, take the right-hand fork and head down to Curtis Falls. A viewing platform in the forest is a good place to stop and listen to the birds or rest on your way back.

The Mount Merino walk is located in the Binna Burra section of Lamington National Park. This stunning national park boasts extensive walking tracks along the McPherson Range, which allow visitors to explore the area's forests, creeks and waterfalls.

Heart Reef, in the Great Barrier Reef of the Whitsundays, is a stunning composition of coral that has naturally formed into the shape of a heart. Located in Hardy Reef, Heart Reef is best experienced from the air by helicopter or seaplane, as visitors are unable to snorkel or dive there due it's protected status.

Bladensburg National Park is a large park protecting Mitchell grass downs and channel country. It is home to a wonderful variety of wildlife, including tiny mammals called dunnarts. Flat-topped mesas and sandstone ranges form a pleasing backdrop to the park's grassland plains and river flats.

The Ngaro people have walked this land for over 9,000 years. Protected from the elements in a once-hidden cave, Ngaro artwork adorns the fragile rock surface.
The track begins deep inside Nara Inlet on Hook Island — an excellent overnight anchorage.

Mount Lewis, one high rainforest-clad mountains of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, is a treasure trove of unique and endemic wildlife. The area between the Mount Lewis and Atherton Tableland is especially diverse.

Plunging over the edge of a columnar basalt lava flow, Big Millstream Falls is reputedly the widest single-drop waterfall in Australia. Lying in the rain shadow of the eastern dividing ranges, the dry open woodland here is in stark contrast with the rainforest which is only kilometres away.

Michaelmas Cay, part of Michaelmas and Upolo Cays National Park, is one of the most important seabird breeding sites in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Michaelmas Cay is a small, low sand cay, covered by grasses and low-growing plants.

An oasis of birdlife, unique plant species and freshwater creeks, the Carnarvon Gorge is a sparkling gem amongst the dusty heart of Central Queensland. Is it any wonder it's the region's most popular attraction?

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